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Mosquitoes in Southern New Hampshire are capable of pulling a punch with the diseases they can transmit. In fact, here in Southern New Hampshire, they can actually pull a triple punch with three mosquito-borne illness that can be found in our area. It’s important to know the symptoms of these diseases and how to control the mosquito population in your Southern New Hampshire yard. Let’s start with the three mosquito-borne viruses and their symptoms:

1-2 weeks for systemic infections or longer for more serious cases or the disease may be fatal.

Several days to a few weeks although joint pain can last for years.

Treatment

There is no vaccine or specific treatment for WNV. Over the counter pain medication, fluids, and rest are recommended.

There is no vaccine for EEE for humans. Medication, fluids, and rest are the best treatment. Hospitalization may be required, especially if the infection is severe.

There is no vaccine for Chikungunya although one is in the works. Over the counter pain medication and rest are recommended.

While each of the diseases can be painful and eventually can become more serious, each can also be avoided with proper mosquito control by Mosquito Squad of Southern New Hampshire. Our barrier spray reduces the

The team at Mosquito Squad of SoNH

mosquito population in your treated yard by up to 90%, and lasts for 21 days, even through the rain. Call us now for season long protection against Southern New Hampshire mosquitoes and the diseases they can transmit to your family with just one bit. Mosquito Squad of Southern New Hampshire is ready to protect you from the triple punch of mosquitoes.

The Asian Tiger mosquito can be easily identified by the white and black stripes on its legs and abdomen.

Right? Well, not really. While it’s true that all mosquito bites hurt, make us miserable, and have the potential of spreading diseases, mosquitoes themselves are actually quite different from one another if we look at them closely. Here in Southern New Hampshire, our environment actually contains 47 different species of mosquitoes, each with unique characteristics. But out of these 47, only a few are responsible for the spreading West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). The two biggest culprits are the Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the Cattail Mosquito (Coquillettidia perturbans).

The Asian Tiger mosquito is a relatively recent arrival in the United States. Originally a native of tropical climates, it came to our shores in used tires that were imported from the tropics. These mosquitoes are particularly troublesome because they carry West Nile virus and, unlike many others, are active during daylight hours. Asian Tiger mosquitoes are easily identified by black and white stripes in their legs and abdomen.

While all mosquitoes love water, the Cattail mosquito is especially fond of it. In their larval form, these mosquitoes attach themselves to the roots of water plants. They are able to breath underwater, making them impossible to eliminate with larvicides (since larvicides drown mosquito eggs). These mosquitoes are prone to transmitting EEE and can travel up to a mile at a time. They are brown or tan with darker brown stripes on their legs and abdomen.

No matter what mosquitoes are most prevalent on your property, they all have the following in common:

They need water to breed

Only the female can bite

Their wings beat 300 to 600 times per second

They can fly about 1 to 1.5 miles per hour

They can smell humans from 60 feet away

The team at Mosquito Squad of SoNH

And no matter the mosquito species, Mosquito Squad of Southern New Hampshire can help you control them. We use a variety of methods to ensure that we eliminate mosquitoes no matter where they are in their lifecycle. This ensures that we are not only protecting you and your family, but we are also decreasing the mosquito population at large, which is extremely important with the arrival of spring and summer. So don’t wait until you get bitten. Be proactive. Give us a call today or come visit us at the NH State Home Show, booth #1202, this weekend at the Radisson Center of Central New Hampshire to talk to us about protecting your family this season. • (603) 373 – 8863 • email: sonh@mosquitosquad.com

West Nile Virus detected in Stratham, Sandown and Pelham, which has raised concern among NH residents.

As reports come in regards to mosquito-borne illness activity going on all around us, Southern New Hampshire residents are getting more anxious. The newest positive test results for West Nile Virus indicate the virus has been detected in two mosquito pools in Stratham, N.H., making it at least the third community in the state this summer where the virus has surfaced. This new location comes to us after the virus was also identifed last week in nearby Sandown, mosquito samples taken from a testing pool have tested positive for West Nile Virus. According to a report in the Eagle Tribune, the timing for this discovery couldn’t have gotten much worse. The positive test results that indicate the presence of WNV in the Sandown community came on the eve of the annual summer event “Old Home Days“, which has become a tradition in Sandown and the surrounding communities. With the festivities in town and with a lot of people being outside this past weekend. Officials said they would rather be safe than sorry and began emergency spraying for mosquitoes throughout the town prior to the event. Town officials said parts of the town are typically sprayed for mosquitoes, but the spraying is happening earlier in the year than usual, which seems to be the case all over the area as other positive test results continue to grow. Last year Sandown was the first town in the state to test positive for West Nile Virus.

In addition to utilizing a mosquito control and protection program at home, avoid areas where mosquitoes are prevalent.

The positive WNV results come in just a short time after two mosquito pools in Pelham also tested positive for the virus. Officials are quick to point out that mosquito season in New Hampshire reaches peak level around Labor Day. Mosquito activity in NH generally offers no relief until mid-October, and in keeping with years past sometimes mosquitoes will continue to be a source of concern until the arrival of the season’s first snow. With this in mind, it is important to remain vigilant in exercising safe mosquito practices at home and abroad.

In our region, human infections of mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis make top news during the summer months. As of yet, there have been no reports of Eastern Equine Encephalits for this season.

It can sometimes be hard to initially identify the presence of the disease because some cases are asymptomatic, which means the individual infected may show no symptoms of being ill. Being infected with West Nile Virus can also take those infected down two very different paths, one being the development of West Nile Fever and the other turning into West Nile Disease.

The day biting Asian tiger mosquito is a known vector of West Nile Virus.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), It is estimated that about 20% of people who become infected with WNV will develop West Nile fever. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands. While the illness can be as short as a few days, even healthy people have reported being sick for several weeks. The symptoms of severe disease (also called neuroinvasive disease, such as West Nile encephalitis or meningitis or West Nile poliomyelitis) include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 150 persons infected with the West Nile virus will develop a more severe form of disease. Serious illness can occur in people of any age; however people over age 50 and some immunocompromised persons (for example, transplant patients) are at the highest risk for getting severely ill when infected with WNV. Most people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with West Nile virus will not develop any type of illness (an asymptomatic infection); however you cannot know ahead of time if you’ll get sick or not when infected.

Keep your family safe from the risk of mosquito-borne illness this season!

During this most crucial time of the season, when the potential to contract a mosquito-borne illness is at its peak, it’s important for NH residents to reduce the risk of coming into contact with a mosquito altogether. The truth is you never know which mosquitoes could be carrying West Nile, and which are not. The best prevention against all mosquito related illnesses is to exercise efficient mosquito control and prevention practices. Mosquito Squad of Southern New Hampshire can eliminate and prevent the resurgence of mosquitoes on your property all season long with our barrier spray program. Our safe and effectivebarrier spray will eliminate what mosquitoes are present and prevent resurgence for 21 days. Getting started is easy and worry free. Our rotation program ensures mosquito control all summer long and you won’t have to play guessing games about mosquitoes any longer!

Mosquito Squad of Southern New Hampshire aims to keep residents informed about the risk of West Nile Virus in our region.

As of yet, Southern New Hampshire has not had a confirmed case of West Nile Virus this season. Phew! Even though when it comes to West Nile Virus, no news is good news; our neighboring states have already begun to see positive test results for WNV in mosquitoes. The states nearest to the granite state that have tested positive are Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont. With this much activity around us, now is not the time to get lazy about staying on top of your mosquito control practices.

We can keep your backyard free of these this season.

New Hampshire began testing mosquitoes for West Nile in the beginning of July. The reason for this is because it usually takes a few extra weeks for New Hampshire to heat up and become an “ideal” mosquito habitat – ideal for mosquitoes that is! The warmer weather mixed with our amount of abundant rainfall make the conditions perfect for mosquito infestations. According to an article published last week by NHPR New Hampshire News, Vector Borne Disease Surveillance Coordinator Whitney Howe states “We really can’t predict the season, both in terms of mosquito populations and activity and the potential risk for disease transmission, because there are so many environmental factors involved, But certainly mosquitoes do breed most proficiently in warm, wet environments. So right now is prime mosquito season.”

In addition to utilizing a mosquito control and protection program at home, avoid areas where mosquitoes are prevalent.

Though it is good news that NH has not had a confirmation of WNV, it is crucial to not allow the lack of disease thus far give us a false sense of security. In looking back, New Hampshire did not confirm its first human case of West Nile Virus last season until mid-August, when a resident of Manchester became infected with the disease. Up until then, there had been no confirmed human cases of WNV in New Hampshire since 2010. West Nile Virus first appeared in the NH in 2000. Since then, four other humans have contracted the mosquito-borne virus. During the 2012 mosquito season other New Hampshire communities had confirmed cases of mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile without confirmed human cases, which were Nashua, Salem, Seabrook, North Hampton and Brentwood. These positive test results indicated that the potential for infection was present, and the Granite State was fortunate in not having more residents to become infected.

With Mosquito Squad of SoNH you have the freedom to enjoy the summer without the worry of mosquito-borne illness.

During this most crucial time of the season, when the potential to contract a mosquito-borne illness is at its peak, it’s important for NH residents to reduce the risk of coming into contact with a mosquito altogether. The truth is you never know which mosquitoes could be carrying West Nile, and which are not. The best prevention against all mosquito related illnesses is to exercise efficient mosquito control and prevention practices. Mosquito Squad of Southern New Hampshire can eliminate and prevent the resurgence of mosquitoes on your property all season long with our barrier spray program. Our safe and effective barrier spray will eliminate what mosquitoes are present and prevent resurgence for 21 days. Getting started is easy and worry free. Our rotation program ensures mosquito control all summer long and you won’t have to play guessing games about mosquitoes any longer!

As a child, I can recall long summer days of carefree outdoor fun that spilled over into the evening hours. Getting bitten by a mosquito was always part of the equation, and so were the whelps and discomfort that followed. Not so very long ago mosquito-borne illness wasn’t a concern our parents worried much about on those fun summer evenings. The only concern of seasonal mosquitoes was the chance of infection from scratching the itchy bites too much. Things have drastically changed in a short period of time when it comes to the way we view mosquitoes.

Fast forward to the present and the many mosquito-borne illnesses we have to consider each time we venture outdoors into an unprotected area and you will realize the impetus of exercising mosquito smart practices. One of the most prevalent causes for concern is the risk of West Nile Virus. West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne disease that can cause a mild fever to encephalitis (swelling of the brain) or meningitis (swelling of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord) in humans and other mammals. The West Nile Virus cycle is maintained in nature between mosquitoes and birds, the latter serving as reservoir hosts. The mosquito becomes infected by biting a bird that carries the virus. An infected mosquito can also spread the virus to healthy birds as well. Overwintering adult mosquitoes can harbor the virus and thereby serve as one way of sustaining the disease year to year.

Last year the CDC reported a total of 5,674 cases of WNV disease in people, including 286 deaths.

West Nile was first detected in North America in 1999 in New York City. Prior to 1999, the illness had only been found in Africa, Eastern Europe, and West Asia. When the outbreak in 1999 took place researchers initially thought it might be St. Louis Encephalitis. During the same time researchers were observing human cases, they also noted an increase in avian mortality including wild crows and exotic birds at The Bronx Zoo. This occurrence was a call to alarm, because St. Louis Encephalitis has never shown a trend in avian mortality. Other pathogenic arboviruses were investigated as the cause of this unusual phenomenon but, subsequent DNA sequencing of human and avian viral isolates indicated that they were closely related to West Nile (WN) Virus, not previously isolated in the Western Hemisphere. This event marked the beginning of things to come in terms of WNV infection. In 2012, all 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported WNV infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. According to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health Services nationally, there has been a dramatic increase in West Nile Virus activity since 2002, including infections reported in New Hampshire.

Reducing the risk of contracting West Nile begins with eliminating areas where mosquitoes breed and lay their eggs.

In our region, human infections of mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis are as commonplace in the news during the summer months as the prediction of a summer thunderstorm. It can sometimes be hard to initially identify the presence of the disease because some cases are asymptomatic, which means the individual infected may show no symptoms of being ill. Being infected with West Nile Virus can also take those infected down two very different paths, one being the development of West Nile Fever and the other turning into West Nile Disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), It is estimated that about 20% of people who become infected with WNV will develop West Nile fever. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands. While the illness can be as short as a few days, even healthy people have reported being sick for several weeks. The symptoms of severe disease (also called neuroinvasive disease, such as West Nile encephalitis or meningitis or West Nile poliomyelitis) include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 150 persons infected with the West Nile virus will develop a more severe form of disease. Serious illness can occur in people of any age; however people over age 50 and some immunocompromised persons (for example, transplant patients) are at the highest risk for getting severely ill when infected with WNV. Most people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with West Nile virus will not develop any type of illness (an asymptomatic infection); however you cannot know ahead of time if you’ll get sick or not when infected.

Mosquitoes suck, and so do the diseases they carry!

The best prevention against West Nile, and other mosquito related illnesses is to exercise efficient mosquito control and prevention practices. Mosquito Squad of Southern New Hampshire can eradicate and prevent the resurgence of mosquitoes on your property all season long with our barrier spray program. Our safe and effective barrier spray will kill what mosquitoes are present and prevent resurgence for 21 days. Getting started is easy and worry free. Our rotation program ensures mosquito control all summer long.

The team at Mosquito Squad of SoNH

Contact Mosquito Squad of Southern New Hampshire to learn more about and our safe and effective barrier spray program. Live mosquito free or die. Call now (603) 373 – 8863 • email: sonh@mosquitosquad.comto start living the mosquito free life.